Energized by the beat from the ’80s pop classic tune We Are Family by Sister Sledge, more than 100 supporters of the LGTBQ community in the Central Okanagan marched from Stuart Park to City Park, one of the wind-up events today to the Okanagan Pride Festival which has gone on all week.
Along with the march, Okanagan Pride also is staging a festival event adjacent to Jubilee Bowl at City Park to mark the end of the festival. It runs until 4:L30 p.m. today.
The march was intended to be a show of support among the LGTBQ community and awareness for the general public, as the participants included a diverse age range from grandparents to toddlers, many carrying flags and banners with the Okanagan Pride rainbow colour scheme.
Okanagan Pride president Wilbur Turner told the Capital News earlier this week the goal of the Pride Festival was to connect with the community at large and to help support charitable initiatives such as fundraising for the food bank and creating a bursary for high school students.
Since Turner arrived in Kelowna in 2011 and quickly found himself in a leadership role for the Pride Festival, the Okanagan Pride Society has joined the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, and partnered with a number of local community groups including the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society.
